When should I fertilize my camellia?
During the growth phase and the Heyday you should get your Camellias about every 14 days fertilize. This is usually from February or March through July or August. When the camellia starts to bud, you can slowly stop fertilizing. Use preferred Slow release fertilizer, then follow the instructions on the packaging. If in doubt, it is better to fertilize your camellia less than too much.
also read
- Help, my camellia is getting brown leaves!
- Care instructions for the camellia - tips and tricks
- Never let it dry out completely - water camellias properly
Does the camellia need a special fertilizer?
The camellia prefers a slightly acidic environment with a pH value of 4.5 to 5.5, similar to the rhododendron. Therefore, it can also tolerate the same fertilizer. You can also support the acidic environment, which is favorable for the camellia, with low-lime irrigation water, ideally you take it out of the Rain barrel.
You get special Rhododendron fertilizer both as a slow release fertilizer and in liquid form. It is offered in garden and hardware stores, as well as on the Internet. As an alternative to rhododendron fertilizer, you can also use other nitrogen-rich fertilizers such as green manure.
Conventional fertilizer for flowering plants (so-called bloom fertilizer) contains too little nitrogen for the camellia. Be careful, however, not to overfeed your camellias, as this will do more harm than good to the plant. This risk is particularly high with fertilizer concentrations.
What happens if I fertilize the camellia incorrectly?
If you do not provide your camellia with sufficient nutrients, it may grow a little more sparsely, the Flowering could fail or turn out to be less abundant than you would like. If you do not water your camellia sufficiently shortly before flowering, it threatens Fall of the flowers.
However, overfertilizing the camellia is not good either. This often leads to what are known as horny drives. These are long, soft shoots on which no flowers form. The growth of the buds also suffers from an overdose of nutrients. Also get the leaves of the camellia brown spots, will black and fall off.
The essentials in brief:
- during the growing season from March to July
- every 14 days with liquid fertilizer or according to instructions with long-term fertilizer
- it is best to use rhododendron fertilizer
- stop fertilizing after bud formation
- Consequences of over-fertilization: necrotic or yellowing leaves, long horny shoots without a flower base
Tips
The camellia needs a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, so the use of rhododendron fertilizer is ideal.